Database Access Using Entity And Availability Pairs In A Video Delivery System

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment, a method uses a notification of a programming event to determine an entity of a media program and an availability pair. The availability pair identifies an entitlement and a location combination for viewing the media program. the method queries a database using the entity and the availability pair in a query to determine a first set of user profiles associated with the entity and a second set of user profiles associated with the availability pair. The first list of user profiles and the second list of user profiles are analyzed to select at least the portion of the first set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles. Then, the method performs an action for the at least the portion of the first set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles based on an occurrence of the programming event.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application and, pursuant to 35U.S.C. § 120, is entitled to and claims the benefit of earlier filedapplication U.S. application Ser. No. 15/839,113 filed Dec. 12, 2017,the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entiretyfor all purposes.

BACKGROUND

A video delivery system may include different databases that storedifferent aspects of information for a video delivery service, such as afirst database storing user interests, a second database for users'entitlements to view content, and a third database for users' locations.The backend system of the video delivery system includes differentservices that can handle requests and query the different databases. Theservices are configured to specifically store data in respectivedatabases by indexing user profiles. Indexing the user profiles providesefficiencies because the services receive data, such as a user'sinterest, and can then store the user's interest with the user profilein the first database.

Multiple engines of the video delivery system may need to access thedata via the services for different reasons. Also, some engines requiredata from multiple separate databases to provide a feature fordelivering video to users. For example, a feature may require data abouta user from a first database, and then use that data to query the secondand third databases. This requires that the engine send queries tomultiple services to retrieve the data. Given that the video deliveryservice may include a large amount of users, if an engine sends queriesfor a majority of the users at one time, the backend network mayexperience a spike in traffic. This may slow down processing time forother engines that may need to access the data and also slow down thequeries being executed for the current engine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a simplified system for implementing a search engineusing an online database to respond to scheduled events according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed example of generating the online databaseaccording to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a simplified flowchart of a method for generating theonline database according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows an example of documents according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of an index in the online database accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts a simplified flowchart of a method for processing liveprogramming events according to some embodiments.

FIG. 7 depicts a simplified flowchart for maintaining the index in theonline database according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts a video streaming system in communication with multipleclient devices via one or more communication networks according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 9 depicts a diagrammatic view of an apparatus for viewing videocontent and advertisements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are techniques for a video recording and notificationsystem. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous examples and specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of particular embodiments. Particularembodiments as defined by the claims may include some or all of thefeatures in these examples alone or in combination with other featuresdescribed below, and may further include modifications and equivalentsof the features and concepts described herein.

A video delivery system may experience times in which an engine mayperform a large amount of queries at one time. For example, when thevideo delivery system provides a live television service, the videodelivery system may have a cloud digital video recorder (DVR) featureand a push notification feature. The live television service may providelinear live programming where new media programs may start at set times,such as every half hour or hour. In some cases, there may be a largeamount of media programs starting at the same time in the schedule. Whenthe video delivery system determines that a media program is going tostart, then the video delivery system may determine which users may beinterested in the media program to either record the program or providea notification to users. For example, a search engine determines whichusers meet the requirements for recording the media program or receivinga notification. In some embodiments, the search engine determines usersthat have the required interest in the upcoming media program, theentitlements to view the media program, and location information withinan availability area for the program. As discussed in the Background,this may require multiple queries to different databases for each user,which causes a spike in activity in the backend network right before themedia program is going to air. When multiple media programs start at thesame time, then the spike in traffic increases even more.

To alleviate the spike in traffic in the backend network, the videodelivery system generates a transformed database structure in an onlinedatabase that may limit the spike in traffic on the backend network andalso allow efficient querying the required data with less queries. Atransformation engine may load required data from the various databasesby querying, per user profile, the interests in entities from a firstdatabase, entitlements for viewing the entities from a second database,and location information from a third database. The transformationengine then transforms the format of how the data was stored in thefirst, second, and third databases. For example, the transformationengine combines the entitlements and location information into anavailability pair. Then, the transformation engine stores entities forthe interests and the availability pairs in an inverted format comparedto how the data was stored in the first, second, and third databases.The inverted format indexes the entities for the interests andavailability pairs with a list of profiles as entries for the index. Thetransformation engine stores the transformed data in an online databasethat can be queried when live programming events occur.

The use of the online database and transformed data allows the searchengine that is processing the live programming events to efficientlyperform the queries. The transformed format allows the queries to beperformed faster than querying the first, second, or third databases.Further, the format allows the search engine to retrieve the requireddata with a fewer amount of queries as compared to when the data wasstored in separate databases. Additionally, using the online databaselimits the spike in network traffic on the backend network becausequeries are now directed to the online database. The other backenddatabases now can process queries from other engines withoutexperiencing the delay caused by the spike in searches.

Overview

FIG. 1 depicts a simplified system 100 for implementing a search engine118 using an online storage 114 to respond to scheduled events accordingto some embodiments. System 100 includes a video delivery system 102 andclients 104-1 to 104-N. Video delivery system 102 may provide a videodelivery service that sends media programs (e.g., videos) to clients104. Clients 104-1 to 104-N may view the media programs on an interface122-1 to 122-N, which may include a media player (not shown). Videodelivery system 102 may allow users to request videos on-demand orsubscribe to a live television service. The media programs that can berequested on-demand are included in a video library and clients 104 canrequest the media programs at any time. The live television service maybroadcast media programs in a linear manner, such as via a televisedschedule. In this example, the live television service offers mediaprograms that can only be viewed on a set schedule. In some embodiments,the schedule includes media programs that start around the same time,such as at half-hour or hour intervals. For example, at the top of everyhour, the live television service may begin offering new media programson multiple channels. Clients 104-1 to 104-N may view the media programson an interface 122-1 to 122-N, which may include a media player (notshown).

A live programming engine 106 may monitor the schedule, such anelectronic program guide (EPG) that specifies which media programs areupcoming, and determine which media programs are going to be airedbefore the airtime, right when the media program airs, or after themedia program airs. For example, live programming engine 106 maydetermine the videos that are going to be aired X seconds before thevideo is going to be aired. The X seconds may be within a minute of thestart of the media program, or during when the previous media program isbeing aired. Also, live programming engine 106 may start recording themedia programs right after they start to air. Live programming engine106 makes this determination close to the airtime because the latestdata on user interests, entitlements, and/or location should be used.

In one example, a cloud DVR system 110 may be programmed to recordvideos for a user prior to the media program airing, right when themedia program airs, or after the media program airs. Accordingly, liveprogramming engine 106 determines the media programs that are going tobe aired close to the airtime so that cloud DVR system 110 can startrecording of the media programs for users. Cloud DVR system 110 can thenstore the media programs in cloud DVRs 108 for different users. Thesemedia programs are stored to allow users to play the media programs at alater time that is different from the airtime. Once recorded, cloud DVR108 may then provide a recorded programs list 124-1 to 124-N to clients.For example, users can access a recorded programs list to determinewhich programs have been recorded. Cloud DVR system 110 may operateautomatically, such as a user may not need to figure out the time when avideo is going to be offered. Rather, cloud DVR system 110 may determinewhen programs are going to be offered at a time and record themautomatically.

Video delivery system 102 also includes a notification system 120 thatcan send notifications for events that are going to occur, such as Xhours, days, etc. before the event will occur. Some notificationsinclude that certain videos may be expiring or that a video may be aboutto start. The notification that the video is about to play should besent close to the time at which the video is going to be played toattract the user's interest.

Search engine 118 may be an online service that can handle the requeststo determine users. Search engine 118 is an online engine because itinteracts with the live television service being offered online toclients 104.

Databases 116 may include separate databases that store information forusers. Users may also include profiles 1-X that may have differentattributes, such as interests, entitlements, and location information.For example, users may have profiles for different members of the user'sfamily and can determine different interests, such as different videosthat the specific profiles are interested in. The use of profiles maymultiply the number of entries in databases 116. When profiles are usedin the discussion, it will be understood that a user may have one ormore profiles.

Database 116 may include different offline databases. When a user isdetermined to be interested in a video, an interest database stores anindication of the interest (e.g., an interest indication) for the userprofile in the interest database. The interest indication may be a flag,identifier, or other indicator that identifies the interest. In someembodiments, when a user adds a video to a category, such as to My Stuffcategory in user interface 132, an interest indication for that videomay be stored for that user in the interests database. An entitlementsdatabase may store information for entitlements for users. Theentitlements may be a type of account or a level of subscription servicefor the users, such as subscription video on-demand (SVOD) only, SVODplus live television service, SVOD plus a network channel, etc. Theentitlements database lists entitlements for the users. In someembodiments, each user profile for a user includes the sameentitlements. In other embodiments, the user profiles may each includeentitlements. A location database may store location information foruser profiles, such as a home location for the user for be associatedwith all user profiles, but a real-time location may be different fordifferent user profiles. In some embodiments, the location informationmay be in the form of a distribution area, which indicates a location inwhich the user resides, such as a ZIP code. The location database liststhe user profiles and then the location information associated with eachuser profile.

Various engines of the video delivery system 102 may use the informationstored in these databases 116. If search engine 118 performed the numberof queries required for cloud DVR system 110 or notification system 120at the scheduled times, the queries would cause a large amount oftraffic that is accessing databases 116 at the same time. This may delaythe processing of queries from other engines that may need to accessdatabases 116. Further, the format of the data stored in databases 116is optimized for the specific data being stored. For example, theinformation may be indexed by user profile and the user profiles areused in queries to determine entries in the database. Given the formatof databases 116, such as for interests, entitlements or home location,using the users as the index provides efficient access for the offlineservices. For example, when a user adds an interest, adding the interestto the interests database may be efficient by finding that user profileand adding that interest to the user profile's entries.

The above format that indexes user profiles is efficient for adding datato the databases and for other services to find that data. However,given the spike in traffic due to the live programming events that occurdue to the live television service, some embodiments use atransformation service 112 to transform the data found in databases 116into a format that can be queried more efficiently by search engine 118for the specific type of queries needed for cloud DVR system 110 andnotification system 120. Further, transformation service 112 stores thetransformed data in an online storage 114, which can be accessed bysearch engine 118. For example, online storage 114 may include a localcopy of the transformed data that is accessible to search engine 118.Using online storage 114 removes the queries that need to be performedon databases 116 and avoids the spike in traffic at the scheduled times.Online storage 114 may only be accessed by search engine 118 in someembodiments. Also, the format of the data stored in online storage 114is optimized for queries by search engine 118.

Online Storage 114

The following will now describe the building of online storage 114 inmore detail. FIG. 2 depicts a more detailed example of generating onlinestorage 114 according to some embodiments. FIG. 2 includes offlinedatabases 116, such as an interests database 116-1, an entitlementsdatabase 116-2, and a location database 116-3. Interests database 116-1indexes the users' profiles and associates interests with each userprofile. For example, user profiles may list entities in which a user isinterested as interest indications, such as media programs (e.g., shows,movies, sports teams, etc.). Entitlements database 116-2 indexes users'profiles and associates entitlements with each user profile. Forexample, a user profile may list one or more entitlements for thatprofile, such as the type of subscription that profile is entitled touse. Location database 116-3 indexes users' profiles and associateslocation information with each user profile. For example, the homelocation of users for each user profile is stored as an entry.

To access information in interests database 116-1, entitlements database116-2, and location database 116-3, a query references the user profilesin the index. For example, an offline interests service 132 may send aquery with a user profile in it. The interests associated with thatprofile in interests database 116-1 may then be returned to offlineinterests manager 132. Also, when it is determined that a user has aninterest in a media program, offline interests server 132 looks up theuser profile and adds the interest as an entry to the user's profile ininterests database 116-1. Similarly, an entitlements service 134 maysend a query to entitlements database 116-2 with a user's profile in thequery. Entitlements database 116-2 then returns the entitlementsassociated with that profile. Also, an location service 136 may send aquery to location database 116-3 with the user's profile. Locationdatabase 116-3 then returns the location for the profile to locationservice 136. Similarly, entitlements service 134 may store entitlementsusing a user's profile as an index in entitlements database 116-2 andlocation service 136 may store location information using a user'sprofile as an index in location database 116-3. Accordingly, theseoffline services can query databases 116-1 to 116-3 using a userprofile.

Storing the interests, entitlements, and location information inindividual databases 116-1 to 116-3 by indexing the user profiles may bemost efficient for the offline services because only individual userprofiles are updated at a time, such as when one user profile expressesan interest in a media program, only an entry for that user profileneeds to be updated in database 116-1. Also, for the services toretrieve the interests, entitlements, and location, sending a query tothese databases using the profiles may be most efficient when dealingwith multiple offline services that may require this information. Togenerate online storage 114, transformation service 112 can performqueries to interests database 116-1, entitlements database 116-2, andlocation database 116-3 via services 132, 134, and 136, respectively,using the user profiles in the query. Transformation service 112 thenreceives all of the user profiles with associated interests,entitlements, and location from the various databases. Transformationservice 112 can then transform the data. In some embodiments,transformation service 112 transforms the data received into documentswhere each document is a user profile with associated interests,entitlements, and home location.

FIG. 4 shows an example of documents 402-1 to 402-3 according to someembodiments. Three user profiles are divided into three documents, butit will be understood that other user profiles may be provided.Documents may be stored in a database table or other storage format.Profiles #1, #2, and #3 may be for the same user account, or may be fordifferent users. Also, profiles for different user accounts may have thesame interests, entitlements, and location information.

Document 402-1 is associated with a profile #1 and has interests,entitlements, and location information listed. The interests for profile#1 include entities of series_A, series_B, and movie_C. Series_A andseries_B may be television shows that each include multiple episodes.Movie_C may be a specific movie. The entitlements for profile #1 areentitlements #2 and #16. The entitlements are associated with which typeof account profile #1 is associated with, such as the entitlement #2 maybe the SVOD only service and entitlement #16 may be the SVOD serviceplus live television. The location information lists a distribution areaDA1 and a distribution area DA2. Distribution areas may be differentlocations that are considered the home location for the profile. In someembodiments, distribution areas may be one or more zip codes or othergeographic information.

Profile #2 and profile #3 have similar listings for interests,entitlements, and location. Profile #2 differs from profile #1 in thatprofile #2 does not have an interest in movie_C and only has theentitlement #16. Profile #3 differs from profile #1 in that series_B isnot an interest and profile #3 has a different location of distributionarea DA3.

Referring back to FIG. 2, transformation service 112 can then buildonline storage 114. For example, transformation service 112 builds anindex in which the interests are indexed instead of the user profiles,which is an inverted indexed from how the data was stored in offlinedatabases 116. Transformation service 112 reviews the documents todetermine entities (e.g., media programs) and add user profiles thatinclude the entity in the interests as entries to the entity. Forexample, a media program may be associated with a list of user profilesthat have expressed an interest in that media program. The list of userprofiles may include user profiles for different users.

In some embodiments, transformation service 112 then calculates anavailability pair using the entitlements and location information forthe profiles. For example, different combinations of the entitlementsand home location are combined as an availability pair. Transformationservice 112 can then index the availability pairs. For example, eachavailability pair may include a list of profiles. Each profileassociated with an availability pair has the respective entitlements andlocation information for that availability pair. Although availabilitypairs are described, transformation service may not calculateavailability pairs. In this case, transformation service 112 storesentitlements in the index with a list of profiles and home location inthe index with a list of profiles. The result of indexing theentitlements and home location individually may require the searchengine to perform some calculation to determine which profiles have boththe entitlement and location information that is required instead ofreturning only the user profiles that have both the entitlement andlocation information.

Transformation service 112 may then order the index, such as by entityand availability pair. The order may be via some system, such asalphabetical order, to allow for quicker access. Also, transformationservice 112 may generate a skip list data structure. The skip list datastructure allows a fast search in the order of the entities andavailability pairs. For example, transformation service 112 may maintaina linked hierarchy of sub-sequences with each successive sub-sequenceskipping over fewer elements than the previous one. Searching of theskip list can start in the sparsest sub-sequence until two consecutiveelements have been found, one smaller and one larger than or equal tothe elements searched for. These two elements link to elements of thenext sparsest sub-sequence, and the searching can continue until thefull sequence is searched. A skip list data structure allows someelements in the list to be skipped while still performing the completesearch. FIG. 3 depicts a simplified flowchart 300 of a method forgenerating online storage 114 according to some embodiments. At 302,transformation service 112 retrieves interests for profiles frominterests database 116-1. At 304, transformation service 112 retrievesentitlements for profiles from entitlements database 116-2. At 306,transformation service 112 retrieves location information from locationdatabase 116-3.

At 308, transformation service 112 generates documents that each includea user profile with respective interests, entitlements, and locationinformation. At 310, transformation service 112 indexes entities fromthe interests in the profiles. Each entity lists user profiles that haveindicated an interest in respective entities. Then, at 312,transformation service 112 combines the entitlements and location intoan availability pair. For example, each possible combination ofentitlements and location information may be combined into availabilitypairs.

At 314, transformation service 112 indexes the availability pairs. Also,the profiles that have the associated availability pairs are then addedas entries to the availability pairs. At 316, transformation service 112pre-orders the entities and availability pairs in a data structure inonline storage 114.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of an index in online storage 114 according tosome embodiments. The index is shown at 502-1 to 502-9. For example,entities of series_A, series_B, and movie_C are shown at 502-1 to 502-3.Associated profiles for the entity are shown connected to the entitieswith arrows. For example, series_A is associated with profile #1,profile #2, and profile #3; series_B is associated with profile #1 andprofile #2; and movie_C is associated with profile #1 and profile #3.

Then, availability pairs are indexed as shown at 502-4 to 502-9. Theindexes are for different availability pairs of 2_DA1, 2_DA2, 2_DA3,16_DA1, 16_DA2, and 16_DA3. The availability pairs represent thedifferent possible combinations from the entitlements (#2 and #16) andlocations (DA1, DA2, and DA3) found in profiles #1 to #3. The variousprofiles that include the entitlements and location pair are connectedto each availability pair. If a profile did not include one of thecombinations, such as the availability pair 2_DA2 at 502-5, then noprofiles are associated with that availability pair. As can be seen, thedifferent availability pairs are associated with different profiles. Forexample, availability pair 2_DA3 is associated with profile #1 andprofile #3; availability pair 16_DA1 is associated with profiles #1 andprofile #2; availability pair 16_DA2 is associated with profile #1 andprofile #2; and availability pair 16_DA3 is associated with profile #1and profile #3.

Real-Time Event Processing

Once the index in online storage 114 is built, then search engine 118can process live programming events from live programming engine 106.FIG. 6 depicts a simplified flowchart 600 of a method for processinglive programming events according to some embodiments. At 602, searchengine 118 receives a notification for a live programming eventassociated with a media program. For example, live programming engine106 may detect the occurrence of a live programming event, such as viathe EPG. The notification may be for a media program X, which may be aspecific media program, such as a specific episode of a show or a movie.In other embodiments, the event may be generalized to a show or series,such as series Y even though an episode of the series is currently beingshown. The notification may also include other information, such as abase availability rule, which is a rule that defines availability forgiven content. For example, the rule may define any combination of theentitlements, the location information (e.g., home location or roaminglocation), the device type allowed to watch the content, and also thetime window in which the content can be watched. Search engine 118 canparse the notification to determine the entity, entitlements, anddistribution area. For example, search engine 118 may determine thatmedia program X belongs to series_A, can only be watched by a livetelevision subscription user (e.g., entitlements=#16), and within alocation of Santa Monica area (distribution area=DA2). In otherembodiments, live programming engine 106 may provide the relevantinformation for the entity, entitlements, and distribution area from anelectronic programming guide. This information may be included in themetadata for the media program. For example, the distribution area maybe associated with the channel in which the media program is beingplayed, and the entitlements may be associated with the service in whichthe media program is being played. The entity may be determined basedupon which series is associated with the media program.

From the parsing, at 604, search engine 118 determines an entity for themedia program. The entity may be the media program that is going tostart airing on the live television service. At 606, search engine 118then determines an availability pair for the media program. Searchengine 118 may form the availability pair by combining the entitlementsand location information for the media program. In this case, the entitymay be “entity: series_A” and the availability pair may be “availabilitypair: 16_DA2”.

At 608, search engine 118 searches the index in online storage 114 usingthe entity and the availability pair as terms in a query to determineassociated profile lists. For example, a search for the entity series_Aand a search for the availability pair 16_DA2 are performed in the indexshown in FIG. 5. Referring to FIG. 5, at 502-1, search engine 118retrieves profiles #1, #2, and #3 because the entity in the query isseries_A. Also, at 502-8, search engine 118 retrieves profile #2 becausethis profile is associated with availability pair 16_DA2.

At 610, search engine 118 may analyze the profile lists to merge theprofiles for the queries. For example, search engine 118 may perform anBoolean logic AND operation on the list. This means that only profilesthat are included on both lists are eligible. That is, search engine 118determines the profiles that have an interest in the series and also areentitled to watch the series and are in a location available to watchthe series. In this example, profile #2 is the only profile that isinterested in the series and available to watch the series.

Once determining the applicable profiles, at 612, search engine 118generates an action for the media program. For example, search engine118 may generate an action for cloud DVR system 110 or notificationsystem 120. In a first action, the action may direct cloud DVR system110 to record the media program using cloud DVR 108. The second actionmay direct notification system 120 to generate a notification and sendthe notification to the profile. Although actions associated with thecloud DVR and notification systems are described, other actions may alsobe performed. For example, the action may start playback of the mediaprogram or adjust a user interface of the media program to recommend themedia program.

Maintaining Online Storage 114

Search engine 118 has no external dependency on any other system and canbe scaled horizontally. That is, multiple instances of search engine 118may be included in video delivery system 102. The reliance on otherservices in the backend is eliminated and any delays that could beexperienced using those external services are removed. Also,transformation service 112 and search engine 118 are different instancesand do not affect the performance of each other. Search engine 118 is anonline process that processes real-time events. Transformation service112 may an offline process that is performed offline. This may requirethat online storage 114 be updated from the data in offline databases116. For example, FIG. 7 depicts a simplified flowchart 700 formaintaining the index in online storage 114 according to someembodiments. At 702, transformation service 112 determines if an updateto the index is required. For example, transformation service 112 mayreceive a notification that a user's interest has changed. If no updateneeds to be performed, then the process continues to monitor if anyupdates are needed. However, if an update is required, at 704,transformation service 112 determines a profile affected by the update.For example, transformation service 112 determines an entity oravailability pair affected by the update. For example, either a profilemay have an entity added to its interests or a profile may be affectedand have its location changed or the entitlements changed. Then, at 706,transformation service 112 may find the entity or availability pair inthe index and update it with the profile, if needed. For example, if theentity or availability pair is not associated with the profile,transformation service 112 updates the entity or availability pair withthe profile. The updating of the index can be performed in this way dueto the entity or the availability pair being indexed. The entity oravailability pairs are not being changed in the index and thus the indexdoes not need to be altered.

At some point, the index may be entirely rebuilt. Some reasons forrebuilding the index may be to capture different combinations of theentity or availability pairs. For example, entities or availabilitypairs may be added to the programming. Transformation service 112determines whether to rebuild the index. If a rebuild is needed, thentransformation service 112 performs the rebuild of the index. Forexample, the process described in FIG. 3 is performed again.

Accordingly, some embodiments provide more efficient searching for liveprogramming events that occur. The live programming events may occur atserial intervals that cause a large increase in queries. By isolatingthe queries to online storage 114, traffic in the backend does notreceive spiky traffic from the live programming events. Also, the datais transformed into a format specially designed for live programmingevents, which provides more efficient storage of data. This allows fewerqueries to be performed by search engine 118. Additionally, the updatingof the index is quicker.

System

Features and aspects as disclosed herein may be implemented inconjunction with a video streaming system 800 in communication withmultiple client devices via one or more communication networks as shownin FIG. 8. Aspects of the video streaming system 800 are describedmerely to provide an example of an application for enabling distributionand delivery of content prepared according to the present disclosure. Itshould be appreciated that the present technology is not limited tostreaming video applications, and may be adapted for other applicationsand delivery mechanisms.

In one embodiment, a media program provider may include a library ofmedia programs. For example, the media programs may be aggregated andprovided through a site (e.g., Website), application, or browser. A usercan access the media program provider's site or application and requestmedia programs. The user may be limited to requesting only mediaprograms offered by the media program provider.

In system 800, video data may be obtained from one or more sources forexample, from a video source 810, for use as input to a video contentserver 802. The input video data may comprise raw or edited frame-basedvideo data in any suitable digital format, for example, Moving PicturesExperts Group (MPEG)-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VC-1, H.264/Advanced VideoCoding (AVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), or other format. Inan alternative, a video may be provided in a non-digital format andconverted to digital format using a scanner and/or transcoder. The inputvideo data may comprise video clips or programs of various types, forexample, television episodes, motion pictures, and other contentproduced as primary content of interest to consumers. The video data mayalso include audio or only audio may be used.

The video streaming system 800 may include one or more computer serversor modules 802, 804, and/or 807 distributed over one or more computers.Each server 802, 804, 807 may include, or may be operatively coupled to,one or more data stores 809, for example databases, indexes, files, orother data structures. A video content server 802 may access a datastore (not shown) of various video segments. The video content server802 may serve the video segments as directed by a user interfacecontroller communicating with a client device. As used herein, a videosegment refers to a definite portion of frame-based video data, such asmay be used in a streaming video session to view a television episode,motion picture, recorded live performance, or other video content.

In some embodiments, a video advertising server 804 may access a datastore of relatively short videos (e.g., 10 second, 30 second, or 60second video advertisements) configured as advertising for a particularadvertiser or message. The advertising may be provided for an advertiserin exchange for payment of some kind, or may comprise a promotionalmessage for the system 800, a public service message, or some otherinformation. The video advertising server 804 may serve the videoadvertising segments as directed by a user interface controller (notshown).

The video streaming system 800 also may include search engine 118.

The video streaming system 800 may further include an integration andstreaming component 807 that integrates video content and videoadvertising into a streaming video segment. For example, streamingcomponent 807 may be a content server or streaming media server. Acontroller (not shown) may determine the selection or configuration ofadvertising in the streaming video based on any suitable algorithm orprocess. The video streaming system 800 may include other modules orunits not depicted in FIG. 8, for example administrative servers,commerce servers, network infrastructure, advertising selection engines,and so forth.

The video streaming system 800 may connect to a data communicationnetwork 812. A data communication network 812 may comprise a local areanetwork (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), for example, the Internet, atelephone network, a wireless cellular telecommunications network (WCS)814, or some combination of these or similar networks.

One or more client devices 820 may be in communication with the videostreaming system 800, via the data communication network 812 and/orother network 814. Such client devices may include, for example, one ormore laptop computers 820-1, desktop computers 820-2, “smart” mobilephones 820-3, tablet devices 820-4, network-enabled televisions 820-5,or combinations thereof, via a router 818 for a LAN, via a base station817 for a wireless telephony network 814, or via some other connection.In operation, such client devices 820 may send and receive data orinstructions to the system 800, in response to user input received fromuser input devices or other input. In response, the system 800 may servevideo segments and metadata from the data store 809 responsive toselection of media programs to the client devices 820. Client devices820 may output the video content from the streaming video segment in amedia player using a display screen, projector, or other video outputdevice, and receive user input for interacting with the video content.

Distribution of audio-video data may be implemented from streamingcomponent 807 to remote client devices over computer networks,telecommunications networks, and combinations of such networks, usingvarious methods, for example streaming. In streaming, a content serverstreams audio-video data continuously to a media player componentoperating at least partly on the client device, which may play theaudio-video data concurrently with receiving the streaming data from theserver. Although streaming is discussed, other methods of delivery maybe used. The media player component may initiate play of the video dataimmediately after receiving an initial portion of the data from thecontent provider. Traditional streaming techniques use a single providerdelivering a stream of data to a set of end users. High bandwidths andprocessing power may be required to deliver a single stream to a largeaudience, and the required bandwidth of the provider may increase as thenumber of end users increases.

Streaming media can be delivered on-demand or live. Streaming enablesimmediate playback at any point within the file. End-users may skipthrough the media file to start playback or change playback to any pointin the media file. Hence, the end-user does not need to wait for thefile to progressively download. Typically, streaming media is deliveredfrom a few dedicated servers having high bandwidth capabilities via aspecialized device that accepts requests for video files, and withinformation about the format, bandwidth and structure of those files,delivers just the amount of data necessary to play the video, at therate needed to play it. Streaming media servers may also account for thetransmission bandwidth and capabilities of the media player on thedestination client. Streaming component 807 may communicate with clientdevice 820 using control messages and data messages to adjust tochanging network conditions as the video is played. These controlmessages can include commands for enabling control functions such asfast forward, fast reverse, pausing, or seeking to a particular part ofthe file at the client.

Since streaming component 807 transmits video data only as needed and atthe rate that is needed, precise control over the number of streamsserved can be maintained. The viewer will not be able to view high datarate videos over a lower data rate transmission medium. However,streaming media servers (1) provide users random access to the videofile, (2) allow monitoring of who is viewing what video programs and howlong they are watched, (3) use transmission bandwidth more efficiently,since only the amount of data required to support the viewing experienceis transmitted, and (4) the video file is not stored in the viewer'scomputer, but discarded by the media player, thus allowing more controlover the content.

Streaming component 807 may use TCP-based protocols, such as HTTP andReal Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP). Streaming component 807 can alsodeliver live webcasts and can multicast, which allows more than oneclient to tune into a single stream, thus saving bandwidth. Streamingmedia players may not rely on buffering the whole video to providerandom access to any point in the media program. Instead, this isaccomplished through the use of control messages transmitted from themedia player to the streaming media server. Another protocol used forstreaming is hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) live streaming (HLS) orDynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH). The HLS or DASH protocoldelivers video over HTTP via a playlist of small segments that are madeavailable in a variety of bitrates typically from one or more contentdelivery networks (CDNs). This allows a media player to switch bothbitrates and content sources on a segment-by-segment basis. Theswitching helps compensate for network bandwidth variances and alsoinfrastructure failures that may occur during playback of the video.

The delivery of video content by streaming may be accomplished under avariety of models. In one model, the user pays for the viewing of videoprograms, for example, using a fee for access to the library of mediaprograms or a portion of restricted media programs, or using apay-per-view service. In another model widely adopted by broadcasttelevision shortly after its inception, sponsors pay for thepresentation of the media program in exchange for the right to presentadvertisements during or adjacent to the presentation of the program. Insome models, advertisements are inserted at predetermined times in avideo program, which times may be referred to as “ad slots” or “adbreaks.” With streaming video, the media player may be configured sothat the client device cannot play the video without also playingpredetermined advertisements during the designated ad slots.

Referring to FIG. 9, a diagrammatic view of an apparatus 900 for viewingvideo content and advertisements is illustrated. In selectedembodiments, the apparatus 900 may include a processor (CPU) 902operatively coupled to a processor memory 904, which holds binary-codedfunctional modules for execution by the processor 902. Such functionalmodules may include an operating system 906 for handling systemfunctions such as input/output and memory access, a browser 908 todisplay web pages, and media player 910 for playing video. The modulesmay further include user interface 122. The memory 904 may holdadditional modules not shown in FIG. 9, for example modules forperforming other operations described elsewhere herein.

A bus 914 or other communication component may support communication ofinformation within the apparatus 900. The processor 902 may be aspecialized or dedicated microprocessor configured to perform particulartasks in accordance with the features and aspects disclosed herein byexecuting machine-readable software code defining the particular tasks.Processor memory 904 (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device) may be connected to the bus 914 or directly to theprocessor 902, and store information and instructions to be executed bya processor 902. The memory 904 may also store temporary variables orother intermediate information during execution of such instructions.

A computer-readable medium (CRM) in a storage device 924 may beconnected to the bus 914 and store static information and instructionsfor the processor 902; for example, the storage device (CRM) 924 maystore the modules 906, 908, and 910 when the apparatus 900 is poweredoff, from which the modules may be loaded into the processor memory 904when the apparatus 900 is powered up. The storage device 924 may includea non-transitory computer-readable storage medium holding information,instructions, or some combination thereof, for example instructions thatwhen executed by the processor 902, cause the apparatus 900 to beconfigured to perform one or more operations of a method as describedherein.

A communication interface 916 may also be connected to the bus 914. Thecommunication interface 916 may provide or support two-way datacommunication between the apparatus 900 and one or more externaldevices, e.g., the streaming system 800, optionally via a router/modem926 and a wired or wireless connection. In the alternative, or inaddition, the apparatus 900 may include a transceiver 918 connected toan antenna 929, through which the apparatus 900 may communicatewirelessly with a base station for a wireless communication system orwith the router/modem 926. In the alternative, the apparatus 900 maycommunicate with a video streaming system 800 via a local area network,virtual private network, or other network. In another alternative, theapparatus 900 may be incorporated as a module or component of the system800 and communicate with other components via the bus 914 or by someother modality.

The apparatus 900 may be connected (e.g., via the bus 914 and graphicsprocessing unit 920) to a display unit 928. A display 928 may includeany suitable configuration for displaying information to an operator ofthe apparatus 900. For example, a display 928 may include or utilize aliquid crystal display (LCD), touchscreen LCD (e.g., capacitivedisplay), light emitting diode (LED) display, projector, or otherdisplay device to present information to a user of the apparatus 900 ina visual display.

One or more input devices 930 (e.g., an alphanumeric keyboard,microphone, keypad, remote controller, game controller, camera or cameraarray) may be connected to the bus 914 via a user input port 922 tocommunicate information and commands to the apparatus 900. In selectedembodiments, an input device 930 may provide or support control over thepositioning of a cursor. Such a cursor control device, also called apointing device, may be configured as a mouse, a trackball, a track pad,touch screen, cursor direction keys or other device for receiving ortracking physical movement and translating the movement into electricalsignals indicating cursor movement. The cursor control device may beincorporated into the display unit 928, for example using a touchsensitive screen. A cursor control device may communicate directioninformation and command selections to the processor 902 and controlcursor movement on the display 928. A cursor control device may have twoor more degrees of freedom, for example allowing the device to specifycursor positions in a plane or three-dimensional space.

Particular embodiments may be implemented in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, system, or machine. Thecomputer-readable storage medium contains instructions for controlling acomputer system to perform a method described by particular embodiments.The computer system may include one or more computing devices. Theinstructions, when executed by one or more computer processors, may beconfigured to perform that which is described in particular embodiments.

As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow,“a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural references unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein andthroughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and“on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The above description illustrates various embodiments along withexamples of how aspects of particular embodiments may be implemented.The above examples and embodiments should not be deemed to be the onlyembodiments, and are presented to illustrate the flexibility andadvantages of particular embodiments as defined by the following claims.Based on the above disclosure and the following claims, otherarrangements, embodiments, implementations and equivalents may beemployed without departing from the scope hereof as defined by theclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: using, by a computingdevice, a notification of a programming event to determine an entity ofa media program and an availability pair, the availability pairidentifying an entitlement and a location combination for viewing themedia program; querying, by the computing device, a database using theentity and the availability pair in a query to determine a first set ofuser profiles associated with the entity and a second set of userprofiles associated with the availability pair, the database comprising:entities for media programs that are associated with user profiles, andavailability pairs that are associated with user profiles, wherein eachavailability pair identifies an entitlement and a location combination;analyzing, by the computing device, the first list of user profiles andthe second list of user profiles to select at least the portion of thefirst set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles; andperforming, by the computing device, an action for the at least theportion of the first set of user profiles and the second set of userprofiles based on an occurrence of the programming event.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the database comprises a first database, the methodfurther comprising: receiving information for the entities, theentitlements, and the location information from one or more seconddatabases different from the first database, wherein the entities, theentitlements, and the location information are indexed by a plurality ofuser profiles in the one or more second databases.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising: transforming the information for theentities, the entitlements, and the location information from beingindexed by the plurality of user profiles in the one or more seconddatabases to being indexed by the entities and the availability pairs inthe first database; and associating user profiles in the plurality ofuser profiles as entries for the entities and the availability pairs inthe first database.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein: the one or moresecond databases are accessed by one or more first services, and thefirst database is queried by a second service different from the one ormore first services to perform the action, wherein the second servicedoes not query the one or more second databases.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein analyzing the first list of user profiles and the second listof user profiles comprises: merging the first set of user profiles andthe second set of user profiles to select the at least the portion ofthe first set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles. 6.The method of claim 10, wherein merging the first set of user profilesand the second set of user profiles comprises: selecting user profilesthat are found in both the first set of user profiles and the second setof user profiles.
 7. The method of claim 10, wherein merging the firstset of user profiles and the second set of user profiles comprises:performing a Boolean AND operation on the first set of user profiles andthe second set of user profiles.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theat least the portion of the first set of user profiles and the secondset of user profiles have indicated an interest in the entity.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the at least the portion of the first set ofuser profiles and the second set of user profiles are associated withthe availability pair.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the actioncomprises recording the programming event for the at least the portionof the first set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles.11. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises recording theprogramming event for the at least the portion of the first set of userprofiles and the second set of user profiles.
 12. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving an update to a user profile; determiningan entity or an availability pair that is affected by the update; andfinding the entity or the availability pair in the database and updatingthe entity or availability pair with information for the user profile.13. The method of claim 1, wherein the database comprises a firstdatabase, the method further comprising: receiving the entities from asecond database; receiving the entitlements from a third database;receiving the location information from a fourth database; andtransforming the information for the entities, the entitlements, and thelocation information from being indexed by the plurality of userprofiles to being indexed by the entities and the availability pairs.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is only used to processone or more live programming events.
 15. The method of claim 1, whereingenerating the action comprises: storing the media program in a recorderfor each of the at least the portion of the first set of user profilesand the second set of user profiles.
 16. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium containing instructions, that whenexecuted, control a computer system to be configured for: using anotification of a programming event to determine an entity of a mediaprogram and an availability pair, the availability pair identifying anentitlement and a location combination for viewing the media program;querying a database using the entity and the availability pair in aquery to determine a first set of user profiles associated with theentity and a second set of user profiles associated with theavailability pair, the database comprising: entities for media programsthat are associated with user profiles, and availability pairs that areassociated with user profiles, wherein each availability pair identifiesan entitlement and a location combination; analyzing the first list ofuser profiles and the second list of user profiles to select at leastthe portion of the first set of user profiles and the second set of userprofiles; and performing an action for the at least the portion of thefirst set of user profiles and the second set of user profiles based onan occurrence of the programming event.
 17. An apparatus comprising: oneor more computer processors; and a computer-readable storage mediumcomprising instructions for controlling the one or more computerprocessors to be operable for: using a notification of a programmingevent to determine an entity of a media program and an availabilitypair, the availability pair identifying an entitlement and a locationcombination for viewing the media program; querying a database using theentity and the availability pair in a query to determine a first set ofuser profiles associated with the entity and a second set of userprofiles associated with the availability pair, the database comprising:entities for media programs that are associated with user profiles, andavailability pairs that are associated with user profiles, wherein eachavailability pair identifies an entitlement and a location combination;analyzing the first list of user profiles and the second list of userprofiles to select at least the portion of the first set of userprofiles and the second set of user profiles; and performing an actionfor the at least the portion of the first set of user profiles and thesecond set of user profiles based on an occurrence of the programmingevent.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the database comprises afirst database, the instructions further operable for: receivinginformation for the entities, the entitlements, and the locationinformation from one or more second databases different from the firstdatabase, wherein the entities, the entitlements, and the locationinformation are indexed by a plurality of user profiles in the one ormore second databases.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein theinstructions are further operable for: transforming the information forthe entities, the entitlements, and the location information from beingindexed by the plurality of user profiles in the one or more seconddatabases to being indexed by the entities and the availability pairs inthe first database; and associating user profiles in the plurality ofuser profiles as entries for the entities and the availability pairs inthe first database.
 20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein: the one ormore second databases are accessed by one or more first services, andthe first database is queried by a second service different from the oneor more first services to perform the action, wherein the second servicedoes not query the one or more second databases.